Rutgers basketball: Lathan Sommerville, Emmanuel Ogbole and the question at center

PISCATAWAY – It was the kind of dime you’d expect to see from a playmaking guard – a one-handed skip pass from the top of the key that hit cutting wing P.J. Hayes perfectly in stride for an easy layup.

Except the assist came from 6-foot-10, 275-pound center Lathan Sommerville.

While most of the 1,500 or so fans at Rutgers basketball’s intrasquad scrimmage Saturday focused on smooth-as-silk Dylan Harper and human highlight reel Ace Bailey, fellow freshman Sommerville was making a bid to shore up the biggest positional question mark for the Scarlet Knights in 2024-25.

Can he push presumed starter Emmanuel Ogbole for serious minutes at center?

When Sommerville arrived on campus in June, that prospect seemed doubtful as he came to a stark realization: He was struggling to keep up.

“It’s not high school anymore,” Sommerville said. “Going at a different pace, I had to adjust to that.”

So he lost 20-plus pounds and focused on “improving aspects of my motor,” he said, “knowing I have to go hard every single play, every single possession.”

He had no choice, because Ogbole was doing just that. He lacks Sommerville’s offensive skill, but the 6-foot-10, 270-pound junior does what head coach Steve Pikiell values most: defends and rebounds with a high level of physicality.

“For me, it’s good competition,” Sommerville said. “We’re going at each other every day.”

On Saturday Sommerville sank a runner in the lane and a hook shot, made both of his free-throw attempts, and threw multiple quality passes. Ogbole, who missed two dunks and got stuffed at the rim on a third dunk attempt, was the more consistent defender and usually in the right position. Unlike Sommerville, who handled on the perimeter and missed a couple of long-range jumpers, Ogbole played exclusively inside.

No one is expecting either of these guys to play like Cliff Omoruyi, who will be rattling rims for national title contender Alabama this winter. The question is: Together, as a platoon, can they hold down the post?

“The biggest thing I learned from Cliff was, understand your role,” Ogbole said.

His role will be interior enforcer, using the strength that has widened the eyes of his teammates in the weight room.

“You think you’re doing a lot of weight and you look over and compare yourself to E and you see he has two more plates, two more 45s on it,” freshman forward Bryce Dortch said. “You don’t even take it as discouraging because that’s how strong he is.”

Ogbole said he’s been working with assistant coach Jay Young, a big-man expert, on the finer points of defending: help positioning, staying on his feet, keeping balanced. He’s relatively new to the sport and has played in just 10 Division 1 games.

“I think I’ve come a long way,” he said.

Just how long, time will tell. But Pikiell’s usage of these guys, one a banger, the other a finisher, will influence how Rutgers fares in a Big Ten that is never short on quality big men.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS

1. A show by Dylan Harper

The freshman guard from Don Bosco Prep was unstoppable when going to the rim. He finished with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, drilling a 3-pointer out of the gate and making all four of his free throws. He drove and dished to an open PJ Hayes for a corner 3-pointer – a sequence Pikiell would love to see regularly this season – and dropped in a pinpoint fast-break lob to Bailey for a crowd-pleasing alley-oop flush.

2. Jamichael Davis held his own

The 6-foot-2 sophomore guard got to the rim frequently, made his free throws (5-of-6) and rebounded above his height. Known for his on-ball defense last year, he appears penciled in for major minutes, possibly as the first guard off the bench.

3. Dylan Grant from deep

The less-heralded freshman forward appears to be vying for a spot in the rotation. In both Tuesday’s practice scrimmage and Saturday’s public scrimmage, Grant swished an open 3-pointer from the corner. He could be the 10th man when the curtain goes up in five weeks (a presumed rotation guy, postgrad guard Tyson Acuff, sat out Saturday as he continues to recover from a broken foot suffered in June).

4. Ace the passer

Bailey struggled some with his shot selection – it looked like he was trying to one-up Harper at times – but his passing was superb. He runs a nice pick-and-roll, finds teammates in transition and throws the hi-low pass well. He would have logged five-plus assists if his teammates finished better.

5. High praise

Mike Dabney, a standout guard on the 1976 Final Four team, addressed the crowd at halftime and called this group “the most athletic, skilled team in the history of Rutgers basketball — and that includes my Final Four team.”

That’s quite a statement. That squad was loaded one through five: Phil Sellers was a first-team All-American, Eddie Jordan and James Bailey went on to lengthy NBA careers, Dabney scored 1,900 collegiate points and Hollis Copeland was widely regarded as one of the best athletes of his era (he also ran track at Rutgers).

It’s obvious that Harper and Bailey are bound for big things. If the supporting cast performs anywhere near Dabney’s or Copeland’s level, look out.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Rutgers basketball: The question at center persists during scrimmage